The Zombie Apocalypse

After seeing the movie World War Z over the weekend I reminded myself that I never need to see another zombie movie again. Later, some friends and I were talking about why zombie stories are so prevalent in our culture right now and I thought about the symbolism of the “undead,” similar to vampire symbolism but not as sexy. There is nothing attractive about a zombie in any way. So what is it about them that is so fascinating to so many?

Adam Frank writes in a blog post “How To Love The Zombie Apocalypse” on the NPR blog 13.7 Cosmos and Culture:

“So why should we love the Zombie Apocalypse? Because, like all good mythologies, its trying to tell us something really, really important. The fact that the story keeps getting retold again and again shows us just how badly the thing at the root of the story wants to get our attention. And what is that thing? The Zombie Apocalypse is really trying to tell us about resilience.”

I’m not sure I buy resilience as that thing, but I like the idea of “how badly the thing at the root of the story wants to get our attention.” Now, what really wants to get our attention? And where is Joseph Campbell when we need him?

Lisa Brown, Dance Movement Therapist

Please check the Events page for more information on this 1-day seminar on July 13.

Quote of the Day

“Well, I’m not a mystic, in that I don’t practice any austerities, and I’ve never had a mystical experience. So I’m not a mystic. I’m a scholar, and that’s all. I remember when Alan Watts one time asked me, ‘Joe, what yoga do you practice?’ I said, ‘I underline sentences.’”

—Joseph Campbell, in an interview with Jeffrey Mishlove

Wisdom Toolboxes

At the NWA Friends of Jung we celebrated the end of our year of study of Wisdom Tools by bringing our own Wisdom Toolboxes/Bags to share. Some of them were virtual toolboxes, but above is a pic of some actual ones. The common denominator seemed to be books and words!